The Gypsies Decision
by Brydie
Summary: Set in The Keeping Place (Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody) during the time of the rebellion. Will halfbreeds and twentyfamilies become allies with the rebels and misfits?


The Gypsies' Decision.  
  
We were waiting at the gates of Sutrium, ignoring the harsh glares and whispers of the landfolk around us. I could feel my half-brother tensening beside me, and I put my hand warningly on his shoulder, despite my own anger at the ignorant people. Even the children who were playing around happily in the rain stopped and stared at us as we passed, and a few of the older and bolder of them dared to throw a few stones, jeering and snarling at our halfbreed garb and ragged gypsy wagon.  
  
My half brother turned at my touch and stared into my eyes. Hot, furious anger leapt out of them. I shrugged and murmured to him 'If you do nothing we will succeed. Ignore them; they know only what they have been told.'  
  
Cadmus held my gaze for a moment and I saw for a moment a brief glimpse of him as a child – he had always been brave, always challenging unspoken agreements and taboos, always adventurous and valiant. I remembered thinking once, when he rescued a bird with a broken wing from a violent storm, that he would be the one to free our people. Maybe he would even resolve the conflict between our people and the Twentyfamilies. But I banished that thought from my mind – it reminded me why we were here in the first place, and I was too afraid to think about it.  
  
In turn Cadmus sighed and dropped his fierce gaze. 'Who could have thought that the fate of the halfbreeds would lie beyond these very walls, in this very city...the heart of the Council...' He trailed off, looking apprehensive.  
  
I was about to reply when my father appeared looking harassed from in front of us. He was accompanied by my young sister Ana who was clutching his hand tightly.  
  
'There are only two soldierguards at the gates, one checking the certificates and one asking the questions, but they're awful slow. At this rate we'll be a sevenday late and the meeting will be over by the time we get in there.' He answered our unspoken inquiries. Ana whimpered and I looked down at her, hoping she wouldn't make a scene and bring attention to us. Father noticed my look and frowned.  
  
'No, Ayla. She stays. She won't cause unwanted attention, I promise.' He turned away and I knew it was his final word.  
  
I had strongly rejected the idea of bringing her with us, even though she had pleaded and begged so pitifully to us to come that my heart had been almost wrenched from my chest. Cadmus and I alone of our troop had been in Sutrium before and knew, or could predict, the dangers which lay beyond the guarded walls. But my mother had died giving birth to Ana and so the little girl was more precious to Father than anything in the world, including myself and the son of his first wife who had died in a firestorm. He would not let the child out of his sight, not for anything.  
  
Slowly the queue crawled forwards. The light rain became heavier. My feet ached from standing for so long, but the horse we had was too heavily burdened already with food and other supplies and necessities. Cadmus was no comfort; he stood with his arms folded over his chest and a severe glower on his dark face.  
  
Finally we came within sight of the gates. The two soldierguards seemed more interested in a group of young women waiting behind us than the checking of normalcy certificates. They hardly even glanced at us as we passed through the gates into the city; I doubt they even realised we were gypsies. As we quickly made our way through the wet streets I could hear the giggling of the women who were behind us and was extremely grateful.  
  
It was raining hard now but we could still see the sun through the clouds. It was nearly setting. The meeting we had arranged was to be held at moonrise at a safe house which had been set up only a few weeks ago, in an abandoned house close to the gypsy green. We quickly made our way there in silence, thankful that the way was not difficult and there were no more delays. All the houses along the streets were closed up and dark, we saw no one at all from the time we entered the city to the time we reached the safe house. Cadmus glanced at me meaningfully, and I silently agreed with him – the deserted streets were a bad sign. Ana was silent – when I glanced at her she was shaking nervously and chewing her lip.  
  
We found the safe house easily. It looked just as all the other houses did, dark and completely forsaken. However, we helped Father and Ana out of the wagon and quickly knocked on the door. After a moment we were let in and I saw that only a few weak candles wavering in the wind lit the house.  
  
The young man who had answered the door said nothing, only nodded tersely when he saw we were unarmed and led us through the corridor into a small shadowy room already occupied by a few people. As we entered they glanced up and I recognised only one of them.  
  
The door behind us closed and I realised Father and Ana hadn't followed us.  
  
The man I recognised was the new gypsy D'rekta of the Twentyfamilies, Swallow. He stood up from where he was seated on the floor and extended his hand. I took it, wondering if it had been he who had sent the messenger to Father, saying that he knew we were Seditioners and opposed the threat of the Council and Herders, and would we like to come to a meeting to discuss a rebellion. Now that I thought about it, I knew it had to be Swallow. No others knew of our wish to heal the rift between halfbreeds and Twentyfamilies, save Swallow who also felt the same way.  
  
After greeting us and commending our trust, he introduced the others in the room. The first man was I giant, fairly young, but his face and hair marked wit the burdens of his hard life. He was called Brydda, and was a rebel here on behalf of Dardelan and his father Bodera, the leaders of the Sutrium rebels.  
  
A woman with queer, two-coloured eyes introduced herself as Iriny. She said no more than that, and I wondered who she was and why she was here. Another woman, tall and strong looking, gracefully raised herself from the floor and reached over to shake my hand. Cadmus beside me started when he saw her clearly, but I didn't look at him. I knew what had surprised him. This was a Sadorian, and she introduced herself as Jakoby.  
  
The last person was a young woman with a dreamy, distant look on her face. Brydda grinned and before Cadmus or I could ask who she was, he told us about Misfits and Obernewtyn and their strange mental powers. I was too surprised to speak. Cadmus was frowning; I knew that it was not because he rejected mutants but because he didn't see the connection between Obernewtyn and the strange woman. I did, though. She must be one of them.  
  
'My name is Dell,' She answered my brother's frown in a singsong voice. 'I'm here for no other reason than to encourage you to join the rebellion...' She trailed off in the middle of a sentence and I knew that she did not speak the whole truth. But the second thing she said caught my complete attention and I gave no thought to it.  
  
'Encourage us to join the rebellion? We didn't even know there was a rebellion until that messenger came. Plus we're halfbreeds. Ok, so maybe you people don't object to us, but I'm sure there are others. You can't be the only rebels. Do all of your people agree to let us join you?'  
  
Swallow grinned and his white teeth flashed through the dim room. 'They don't know.'  
  
I stared at him. What was going on?  
  
Brydda stood again. 'I must apologise. We have been rushing this a bit. The rebellion is in progress at this very moment. We're using this time while those who oppose an allegiance with you are distracted, but we don't have long. Perhaps Swallow would like to explain in a bit more detail?' He looked inquiringly at the leader of the Twentyfamilies.  
  
Swallow shrugged and moved forwards. 'Through a...friend of mine...' He hesitated and glanced at Dell who shook her head slightly. 'I heard that a rebellion was being planned. As you know I want to reunite the halfbreeds with the Twentyfamilies; such divisions achieve nothing. The –'  
  
Cadmus interrupted him. 'But a rebellion would have nothing to do with us. Or with you, anyway. You can just sit back while the Land is fought over, and then negotiate safe passage with the new leaders of the Land. Why are you interested in a rebellion? It doesn't affect you.'  
  
Swallow nodded. 'Aye, you're right. But the leadership of the Land isn't decided yet. And some of the rebels who want the power over the land despise halfbreeds and Twentyfamilies alike. If they come into power we will be persecuted even more than we are now. It's the same with the Misfits. Joining the rebellion would ensure our safety when the land is won.'  
  
I saw what he meant. With our people's safety ensured by the rebels something could be done about the division of the gypsies in without the interference of the Herders who encouraged the gaping chasm between our people. That was why Swallow agreed to an allegiance, and why he wanted Cadmus and I to agree. He regarded us as the leaders of the halfbreeds, so did most of the other gypsies.  
  
As I stared into the faces of the people, I felt a great weight fall upon my shoulders, and knew my brother felt it too by the way he stiffened beside me. The fate of our people was in our hands. What if the rebellion failed? What if those rebels who hated and despised us decided to actively move against us?  
  
Would the sundering of our people and Swallow's people be healed? 


End file.
